Refrigerated cabinet for mixed drink dispensers



Oct. 25, 1955 w. H. ENTLER 2,721,450

REFRIGERATED CABINET FOR MIXED DRINK DISPENSERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 20. 1954 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM H. ENTLER ATTORNEY Oct. 25, 1955 w, H, ENTLER 2,721,450

REFRIGERATED CABINET FOR MIXED DRINK DISPENSERS Filed Sept. 20, 1954 2 Sheets-SheetZ ATTORNEY United States Patent REFRIGERATED CABINET FOR MIXED DRINK DISPENSERS William H. Entier, Portland, Oreg.

Application September 20, 1954, Serial No. 456,974

6 Claims. (Cl. 62-45) This invention relates to equipment for dispensing carbonated beverages, and, in particular beverages consisting of syrups mixed with carbonated water.

In preparing and dispensing beverages of this type to order it is desirable to have the syrups and the carbonated water kept cold and in condition for quick mixing and dispensing, and also to have chipped ice conveniently available for placing in the glass as each carbonated mixed drink is dispensed.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved dispensing cabinet which will house syrup containers, water carbonator, and supplies of chipped ice, from which cabinet mixed drinks can be etficiently dispensed, and in which cabinet the supply of chipped ice will also serve the purpose of providing effective cooling for the ingredients of the mixed drinks.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved mixed drink dispensing cabinet with which retractable dispensing mixer heads or faucets, of the type described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,633,150, issued under date of March 31, 1953, to H. H. Lewis and entitled Carbonated Drink Mixer and Dispenser, can be employed, and in which the flexible tubes, by which such retractable dispensing heads are connected to the syrup containers and carbonated water supply, can be housed and also kept col-d.

The details of my improved refrigerated dispensing cabinet will be readily understood from the following brief description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective front view of my improved dispensing cabinet showing the retractable dispensing faucets set in place;

Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation taken approximately on lines 22 of Figures 3 and 4;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation taken on line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

The cabinet comprises a closed housing having a bottom wall 10, a substantially vertical rear Wall 11 (Figure 2), a pair of substantially vertical side walls-12 and 13, a front wall 14, and top walls and closures to be later described.

Preferably, although not necessarily, the front wall 14 slopes forwardly upwardly, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so as to enable the operator to stand closer to the top of the front of the cabinet and to be in a more convenient position with respect to the dispensing faucets 15 and the top ice bin 16, later referred to. The front wall is provided with an insulated hinged door 17 for access to the lower half of the cabinet. Access to the upper half of the cabinet is obtained through the removable top portions and members mentioned later. The rear wall, side walls, and front Wall, including the door 17, are provided with suitable insulation on their inside faces, as is customary with refrigerators and the like.

A horizontal partition or shelf 18 (Figures 2 and 4) extends across the interior of the cabinet and is secured to the rear wall and side walls and is spaced from the front wall, as shown in Figure 2. An upper chamber 19 is formed above the horizontal partition 18. This upper chamber 19 has a front wall 20 which is positioned and shaped as shown in Figure 2. The chamber 19 has a bottom wall 21 which is spaced aslight distance above the partition 18 and forms with the partition 18 in air space or duct 22. Also one side wall 23 (Figure 4) of the chamber 19 is similarly spaced from the adjacent side wall of the cabinet so as to provide a similar air space and channel 24 between the cabinet wall and the wall of the chamber and this air space and channel 24 joins with and constitutes an extension of the bottom air space and duct 22. An opening 25 near the top of the chamber wall 23 allows air to pass into the top of the chamber 19 from the air space 24 and thus enables air to pass from the lower air space 22 and upper air space 24 into the chamber 19. These air spaces are otherwise sealed oif.

The closure for the top of the cabinet and chamber 19 is provided in part by an upper top wall 26, in part by a pair of recessed sloping top side portions 27, 27, each of which carries upwardly extending walls 27a and 27b (Figure 1), and in part by a removable top front plate 28 which also carries an upwardly and rearwardly sloping wall 29.

The top ice bin 16, which is shaped as shown in Figures l and 2, fits into the rectangular opening formed by the front edge of the upper top wall 26, the opposite two wall portions 27b of the sloping top side portions 27, and the front wall portion 29 of the front top plate 28. A rim extending around the outside top of the ice bin 16 engages the surrounding edge of the opening and in this way holds the ice bin 16 in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, but enables the bin 16 to be lifted up out of the top of the cabinet when the bin is to be cleaned or when access to the chamber 19 is desired. When the bin is set in place in the cabinet it completes the top closure of the cabinet and of the chamber 19. As previously indicated, the bin 16 serves as'a container for crushed ice to be dispensed with the mixed drinks as served. A small opening 30 in the bottom front edge of the bin 16 enables water from the melted ice to drain down into the chamber 19.

The top side portions 27 are formed with cylindrical recesses or pockets 31 to hold bottles containing additional ingredients for special mixed drinks or other and additional beverages, as required. The removable top front plate 28 provides sockets for the retention of the portable faucets 15 when the faucets are not in use. The faucets carry suitable gaskets or frusto-conical butt portions, as described in Patent No. 2,633,150 previously mentioned, which are set down snugly in the sockets when the faucets are not being used and thus keep the top front portion of the cabinet closed to outside air.

The chamber 19 contains water coils 32 into which water is delivered from a lead-in pipe 33 (Figure 4) from any suitable outside source. The water which passes through these coils is delivered into an electrically-driven pump 34, located at the bottom of the cabinet, and thence forced by the pump into a carbonator 35, located in the chamber 19. This carbonator is also connected with a tank 36, located either in the bottom of the cabinet or outside of the cabinet and containing a supply of CO2 gas under pressure, or the carbonator may be connected with any other suitable exterior source of such COagas under pressure.

A pipe connects the carbonator 35 to a manifold 37 (Figure 2) and each of the faucets 15, with the exception of one, is connected to the manifold 37 by a flexible tube 38. The remaining faucet is preferably connected by a flexible tube to a pipe 39 leading from one of the water coils 32, so as to enable'plain water to be dispensed from that faucet. V

, A syrup container 40, having a plurality of compartments 40a, one for each of the mixed drink dispensing faucets, is mounted on a bracket shelf 41 (Figure 2) which, in turn, is secured to the inside of the hinged door 17. Each of the mixed drink dispensing faucets is connected by a flexible tube 42 to its respective syrup compartment. Each syrup compartment is fitted with a lid 43, which is tightly secured when the faucets and tubes are connected up. The lids on the compartments permit the compartments to be cleaned and refilled when necessary. The lids 43 are preferably located in the relative position shown in Figure '2 so that when the door 17 is swung outwardly on its hinges a suflicient distance to bring the syrup container out of the cabinet the lids 43 will then be at the top of the compartments. Each syrup compartment is connected by a flexible tube to a manifold 44 (Figure 2). A pipe 45, leading from the CO2 gas tank or other source of CO2 gas under pressure, is connected to the manifold through the intermediary of a suitable pressure control valve.

When the cabinet is in use the chamber 19 is filled with crushed ice preferably to the top of the Water coils and carbonator. The bottom of the chamber 19 is provided with a drain pipe 46 leading outside of the cabinet so that water which collects in the bottom of the chamber 19 from the melting ice, as well as water draining from the upper ice bin 16 and collecting in the bottom of chamber 19, can be drained off.

An air fan and more are mounted in a housing 47 located in the lower part of the cabinet and underneath the horizontal partition 18. This air fan housing is connected to an opening in the partition 18 and the housing 47 is provided with a suitable air inlet opening so that, with the operation of the fan, air is drawn into the housing from the lower portion of the cabinet and forcibly discharged into the air space or air duct 22 between the partition 18 and the bottom 21 of the chamber 19.

As will be apparent from Figures 2 and 4, the operation of the air fan in the housing 47, drawing air from the lower portion of the cabinet and forcing air through the air space or air duct 22 drives the air under the bottom of the chamber 19 and thence up through the space 24 and causes the moving air then to pass into the chamber 19 through the opening 25. The housing 47 and the air fan are located near the opposite side of the cabinet'from that at which the air space or duct 24 is placed, as shown in Figure 4, and thus the air' delivered by the fan from housing 47 is forced to pass practically under the entire bottom of the chamber 19 and up along one side of the chamber before it is discharged through the opening 25.

The front wall 20 of the chamber 19 has one or more elongated horizontal slots 48 (Figures 2 and 3) through which air from the chamber 19 is required to pass into the upper front portion of the cabinet. From the upper front portion'of the cabinet the circulating air then passes down to the lower portion of the cabinet for re-circulation by the fan in housing 47 over the same course. With crushed ice filling the lower portion of chamber 19 and with the upper bin 16 filled with crushed ice, the circulation of the air within the cabinet as a result of the operation of the fan in housing 47 causes the re-circulated air within the cabinet to be cooled first by contact with the bottom and side walls of the chamber 19 and then, after being delivered into chamber 19, to be subjected to further continued cooling, not only by actual contact with the crushed ice in chamber 19, but also by contact with the side and bottom walls of the upper ice bin 16. The chilled air then passes into the upper front portion of the cabinet through the slots 48 and in so doing is brought into contact with the flexible tubes connected to the faucets 15. This results in keeping these flexible tubes cool throughout their entire extent and further insures 4 that the syrup and carbonated water delivered through these tubes will'be dispensed thoroughly chilled. The cold air, after passing down inside the front portion of the cabinet, finally comes into contact with the syrup container and in this way keeps the syrup container also cold.

Thus the ice in the chamber 19 serves the double purpose of cooling the water coils 32 and the carbonator 35 and also of cooling the 'air which is delivered by the fan from the housing 47, while the ice in the upper bin 16 provides further cooling of this circulating air in the cabinet in addition to keeping available a supply of crushed ice for deposit in the glasses in which the drinks are served.

Instead of using a single container with different compartments for the difierent syrups to be dispensed from the cabinet, it is possible, of course, to have a separate syrup container for each of the syrups employed. In such case, each container would then be connected with the corresponding faucet in the same manner as the sep arate compartments previously mentioned and each container similarly would also be connected with the supply of CO2 gas under pressure.

Other modifications would be possible in the individual parts of my cabinet assembly without departing from the general arrangement in the assembly and with the ice containers and with the two ice containers providing the desired cooling of the recirculated air and thus keeping the flexible tubes of the portable dispensing faucets, as well as the water coils, carbonator, and syrup container or containers under proper refrigeration.

I claimi 1. In a refrigerated cabinet of the character described for mixed drink dispensers, an ice chamber in the upper half of the cabinet, a front wall for said chamber spaced inwardly from the front wall of said cabinet, an ice bin removably set in the top of said cabinet and extending down part way into said chamber, the walls of said ice bin spaced inwardly from the walls of said ice chamber, a water coil located in said ice chamber, a top plate in the top of said cabinet in front of said ice bin, r'e tractable faucets supported in socket openings in said top plate, flexible tubes connecting said faucets with sources of supply in said cabinet, said tubes being contained within the upper front portion of said cabinet when the respective faucets are not in use, a syrup container in said cabinet below said flexible tubes, an air duct extending under the bottom of said ice chamber, air circulating means for drawing air from the lower portion of said cabinet and driving said air into said duct, said air duct extending up on one side of said ice chamber and discharging into said ice chamber near the top of said' ice chamber, an air discharge outlet at the top of the front wall of said ice chamber discharging into the upper front portion of said cabinet, whereby air in said cabinet, circulated by said air circulating means, after being cooled by contact with the bottom wall and a side wall of said ice chamber in passing through said duct, and further cooled by contact with ice in said chamber and contact with the walls of said ice bin, will pass through said latter mentioned discharge outlet and cool said flexible tubes and said syrup container while passing into the lower portion of said cabinet for recirculation by said means.

2. A refrigerated cabinet for mixed drink dispensers including an ice chamber in the upper half of the cabinet, said chamber extending substantially the full Width of said cabinet, a front wall for said chamber spaced inwardly from the front wall of said cabinet and extending down part way' into said chamber, the walls of said ice bin spaced inwardly from the walls of said ice chamber, a water coil and a carbonator located in said ice chamber below' the bottom ofsaid ice bin, a removable top plate in the top of said cabinet in front of said ice bin, a top closure for the remaining portion of the top of said cabinet around said ice bin, retractable faucets supported in socket openings in said top plate, flexible tubes connecting said faucets with sources of supply in said cabinet, said tubes being contained within said cabinet between the front wall of said ice chamber and the front wall of said cabinet when the respective faucets are not in use, a door in the lower portion of the front wall of said cabinet, a syrup container mounted on the inside of said door, an air duct extending under the bottom of said ice chamber and covering substantially the entire area of the under side of said ice chamber bottom, air cir culating means for drawing air from the lower portion of said cabinet and driving said air into said duct, said air duct extending up on one side of said ice chamber and discharging into said ice chamber near the top of said ice chamber and above the bottom of said ice bin, an air discharge outlet at the top of the front wall of said ice chamber discharging into the upper front portion of said cabinet, whereby air in said cabinet, circulated by said air circulating means, after being cooled by contact with the bottom wall and a side Wall of said ice chamber in passing through said duct, and further cooled by contact with ice in said chamber and contact with the walls of said ice bin, will pass through said latter mentioned discharge outlet and cool said flexible tubes and said syrup container while passing into the lower portion of said cabinet for re-circulation by said means.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 with said ice bin supported in a forwardly tilted position in the top of said cabinet for convenience in scooping ice from said bin.

4. The refrigerated cabinet for mixed drink dispensers described in claim 2 with said top closure of the cabinet including a pair of side top portions having recessed bottle-supporting pockets.

5. The combination set forth in claim 1 with said ice bin supported in a forwardly tilted position in the top of said cabinet and with the front wall of said cabinet sloping forwardly upwardly.

6. The combination set forth in claim 1 with a water drain in the bottom of said ice bin draining into said ice chamber, and with a water drain connected with the bottom of said ice chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

